School board members, teachers, university faculty, school district administrators, and even literacy coaches themselves often have questions about literacy coaching. These questions generally focus on several major issues: What should literacy coaches do? What qualifications should they possess? Is the cost worth it? A key question often revolves around what evidence there is to support the presence of coaches in schools. The two questions related to cost and cost-benefit are ones that school board members often ask when faced with a proposal to support literacy coaching in schools. When asked for such funding, they often ask, "Why don't teachers have the knowledge they need to teach their students; didn't universities and colleges do their job of preparing teachers?" "Why aren't coaches working with students rather than with teachers?" "Why money for literacy coaching; we need support for the band or athletics, or... ?" "What do I tell my constituents when they ask about the cost?" As a member of the Pittsburgh Public School Board, one of the authors has heard these and other questions. He recognizes the need to inform school boards and the citizenry about what coaching is and how it can serve as a means for improving student achievement. The purpose of this brief is to provide information for school boards and administrators to help them understand literacy coaching. The authors address three major questions: What is literacy coaching? Why is there a need for coaching in the schools? What evidence do individuals have that it works? The authors conclude by discussing three key points that are essential if a coaching plan is to be implemented in a school.